AWS runs limited-time campaigns where registering and trying a specific service earns a credit voucher, yet many participants never receive one. The failures are almost all eligibility rules: a newly activated account, not a linked account, a billing address requirement, and a first-N sign-up cap.
AWS runs limited-time campaigns throughout the year: register during the campaign window, try a specified service, and receive a service credit voucher of a fixed amount (70 USD being a typical figure). The barrier looks low, yet a good share of participants never receive anything.
The reason is usually not luck but eligibility - these campaigns carry four or five restrictions, and failing any one of them means the review does not pass. Those conditions tend to live in the small print at the bottom of the campaign page.
This page does not cover one specific campaign (they are time-limited; writing in dates would date the page). It covers the structure these campaigns share, so you can judge any new one quickly. The specific rules are on the campaign page itself.
First: a limited-time campaign is not the same as a standing credit
Plenty of people treat a campaign voucher and the free tier credit as the same thing, and end up with neither. How they are issued is completely different:
| Standing credit (free tier type) | Limited-time campaign voucher | |
|---|---|---|
| How it is issued | Lands automatically on registration | Requires applying within the campaign window, subject to review |
| Capped? | No | Yes - commonly "first N applicants" or "limited quantity" |
| Time-limited? | A standing programme | Yes - both a campaign window and an application deadline |
| Prerequisite | Register | Usually also requires actually trying a named service |
| How it arrives | Straight into the account | Credited after review, so it lags |
⛔ The first row is where people go wrong: a standing credit is "register and it is there"; a campaign voucher is "apply, try the service, pass review, get credited later". Many people wait on a standing-credit expectation until the campaign closes - because the application form was never submitted at all.
The two can coexist: a campaign voucher is additional and does not replace the standing credit. How to get the standing one is in AWS Free Tier for new accounts; startups have a separate tier in AWS startup credits.
Four hard eligibility rules, and why participants miss out
Going by the official campaign terms, these campaigns normally require all four of the following. They are cumulative, not alternatives:
| Requirement | What it means | Where people slip |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Account newly registered and activated during the window | Registration and activation both fall inside the stated period; usually the full multi-step sign-up must be completed | Leaving the sign-up unfinished and assuming it is done; or registering before the window |
| 2. A regular standalone account | Not a linked account under an existing management account | Creating an account inside an existing company organisation - the most commonly missed rule |
| 3. Billing address requirement | Commonly the billing address must be in a specified country or region | Filling in the wrong region without thinking |
| 4. Actually trying the named service | For example trying EC2 or Lightsail (the campaign page names the service) | Registering and stopping there, without ever starting that service |
⛔ Rules 2 and 3 are the sneaky ones, because they are not about "did I register" but about how the account was created and how the form was filled. Rule 2 especially: if your company already has an AWS management account, the account you create may well be a linked account - ineligible from the start, and no amount of applying will fix it. Check these two before you register, not after.
One more that is not an eligibility rule but is just as final: each user normally gets one attempt (multiple entries count as one, and only one voucher is issued). So "I will just make another account and try again" generally does not work.
Sign-up based and capped: what first-come-first-served means
Most of these campaigns state plainly: entry is by application, quantity is limited, first come first served (the official example is "the first 200 application forms submitted"). Together those words imply a completely different timing logic from "register and receive":
- Applying is an action, not a state. You must submit the application form (typically via a QR code, including your 12-digit account ID). Not submitting means not participating.
- There are two deadlines, not one. The first covers registering, activating and trying the service; the second is the form submission deadline. Either can catch you out, and submitting after the deadline means no voucher.
- The cap is first-come-first-served, not eligibility-based. You can satisfy every rule and still miss out because you submitted late.
So the correct order is: read the eligibility (especially account type and billing address) - confirm you qualify - complete the full sign-up - start and try the named service immediately - submit the application form immediately. Every "I will do it later" adds risk, and the last step is the one people forget.
The common shape of these campaigns
Abstracted from the specifics, the structure is almost always the same. Learn it once and you can read any new campaign quickly:
- Aimed at new users: almost always restricted to accounts registered during the window - the hardest boundary, and existing accounts are simply out.
- Requires a real action: registering is not enough; you normally have to try one or two named services (usually entry-level products like EC2 or Lightsail).
- Has a window and a deadline: and the window is often short, so by the time you see the campaign it may be half over.
- Has a cap: first-come-first-served or issued in batches.
- Requires a form and a review: it is not automatic - you submit details, they are reviewed, and the credit is applied afterwards, with a delay.
In other words: these campaigns are acquisition and trial-driving marketing, not a universal benefit. For someone who was going to open a new account and try those two services anyway, they are close to free money. For someone opening an account purely to get the voucher, the cost-benefit needs its own calculation - especially once the cap is already reached.
How to spot a campaign early
Since both the window and the cap are hard limits, spotting a campaign early is itself an advantage. Three routes, most reliable first:
- Watch the official campaign pages. AWS campaigns live under a campaigns path on the official site and are often promoted through search ads - so when searching, check which results are on the official domain, not just the headline.
- Use the official offers entry point. The official offers hub lists standing programmes (free tier, startup support) alongside currently available offers, which is the baseline for judging whether a campaign is running.
- Watch for email and in-console notices. Accounts that already exist sometimes receive targeted campaign notices, and those usually state eligibility and deadlines far more completely than the marketing copy.
⛔ Check the domain when searching. This keyword space is heavily marketed, and many third-party "discount platforms" run ads claiming to get you a better price than AWS. The official application entry point is always on an official domain, and never asks you to pay first. Redemption mechanics and the scams around them are covered in how to redeem AWS promotional credits.
Once you have the voucher
Receiving it is not the same as using it. A voucher shares the two limits of any service credit:
- It expires. Service credits normally carry an expiry date, and the unused portion is not extended, cannot be withdrawn and cannot be transferred.
- Its scope is limited. It generally offsets eligible service usage; whether it covers third-party Marketplace purchases depends on that voucher specific terms.
So the first thing to do on receipt: note the amount, the expiry date and the services it covers, then map it onto what you actually plan to run.
There is a more important layer: a voucher does not change your unit price. It pays part of the bill and then you are back to on-demand pricing. The right use of a campaign voucher is buying a stretch of time for experimentation, not "the cost problem is solved" - that distinction is the subject of AWS credits and discounts are not the same thing.
FAQ
My account already exists - can I still take part?
Almost all of these campaigns require an account registered and activated during the campaign window, so existing accounts are normally out. That is why they are called acquisition campaigns. Confirming this one point first saves every subsequent wasted step.
I qualified and submitted the form - why no credit?
Per the official process, the credit is applied after review, so arrival lags; it is not instant. If it has been a long time, re-check the four rules (especially whether the account is a linked account, and the billing address) rather than resubmitting - each user normally gets one attempt, so repeat submissions achieve nothing.
Does a campaign voucher conflict with the 200 USD free tier?
No - they are benefits that can coexist, each with its own conditions. Note though that the free tier credit lands automatically on registration while a campaign voucher needs application, service trial and review, so the two arrive on completely different timelines. Do not wait for one on the other expectation.
A third party claims they can get me a lower AWS price. Is that credible?
Separate two things: official campaigns (on the official domain, free to apply for, capped and conditioned) versus third-party channel pricing (you settle through a channel and the margin comes from the channel, not from a campaign). The latter is a legitimate model, but anything that asks you to pay before unlocking a discount deserves suspicion. How to assess a channel is in AWS discounts and reseller pricing and how to pay for overseas cloud services.
What happens when the voucher runs out or expires?
Usage returns to on-demand pricing, so the long-term arrangement needs to be decided in advance. Two paths run in parallel: official commitment discounts lower the unit price (see how to buy AWS Savings Plans), and settling through a channel lowers what you actually pay. Mechanism differences across providers are in cloud discount mechanisms compared.